Louisville basketball will reportedly tip off Pat Kelsey era vs. Morehead State
Louisville men's basketball will reportedly tip off the Pat Kelsey era against an in-state opponent.
The Cardinals will begin the 2024-25 season by hosting Morehead State on Nov. 4, a Monday, at the KFC Yum! Center, according to a post Wednesday from Rocco Miller of Bracketeer.org on X, formerly Twitter.
Kelsey's debut as U of L head coach will be the program's 44th meeting against the Eagles and the first since the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
Morehead State won that game, 62-61, with a 3-pointer from Demonte Harper with 4.2 seconds remaining in regulation. It was the first big upset of March Madness that year — a No. 13 seed taking down a No. 4 seed.
Louisville owns a 31-12 advantage in the all-time series against the Eagles, having won 13 in a row dating back to 1961 before losing in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. The last time these teams played during the regular season was Nov. 22, 2008, at Freedom Hall.
The 2024-25 season opener will also be Jonathan Mattox's first game at the helm of Morehead State. He replaced Preston Spradlin, who after winning last season's Ohio Valley Conference Tournament and reaching March Madness was hired as Mark Byington's successor at James Madison.
Mattox's Division I coaching career began as a graduate manager at Morehead State. He returned to the Eagles after spending two seasons as an assistant at Murray State.
Other games on the Cards' 2024-25 nonconference schedule to this point include:
Per a May 24 report from Made For March on X, U of L will host Winthrop, Kelsey's first stop as a head coach, on Friday, Nov. 22.
Louisville will also compete in the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis, which runs Nov. 27-29, at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Matchups have not yet been revealed, but the other members of the tournament field are Arizona, Davidson, Gonzaga, Indiana, Oklahoma, Providence and West Virginia.
Then, of course, there's the annual rivalry game against Kentucky. Per a May 31 report on X from Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, it will be held Saturday, Dec. 14 at Rupp Arena.
Kelsey and his staff completely overhauled Louisville's roster this offseason. All of the scholarship player from the 2023-24 team hit the NCAA transfer portal in the wake of Kenny Payne's firing in March.
Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball's Pat Kelsey begins vs. Morehead State: Report
